I'll Be Your Best Kept Secret&Your Biggest Mistake
by heychelsletschacha
Summary: Tanner Block is Massie's older brother. He's got the looks, the girls, and the athletic ability. On the cusp of Massie's freshman year, what does she do? She falls for his best friend. MassieJosh. AU.
1. cause we are bad news

so i think i have a disease. it's called publish 12890174982 new stories and then never update and never finish them. but i recently got my computer fixed, so not only do i have a word processor now **(which means updatesupdatesupdates!),**

but wooooh! i have a new story.

* * *

_take my advice,_

_'cause we are bad news_

_--_

Tanner Block is a stud.

Actually, there isn't really another noun that he could be categorized under. Hunk, maybe. But that's about it.

Tanner's the ultimate jock, in a sense; he's played nearly every varsity sport there is since he was a freshman. In the fall, he maintains his tan as captain of the water polo team. As if he needed to; our frequent vacations to the Bahamas keep our family dark pretty much year round.

In the winter, he is the starting pointguard of the Briarwood-Octavian Country High Tomahawks on the basketball team. He's lead our school to state championships ever since he was a freshman. Literally every college scout already has him on their radar, and trust me, they've been trying to recruit him since day one.

And its not just the colleges. No, he's on the radar of any female who goes to BOCHS, too. Girls come up to me all the time to tell me how "dreamy-and-deep-and-dark-as-the-ocean" eyes are. How his hair is _just the right shade of blond. _If we didn't live on the east coast, he would totally fit into the California surfer scene.

People, mainly my parent's friends, would comment all the time about how different we looked, despite being only two years apart. They said that it was a wonder how Tanner was only seventeen when he could easily pass for twenty one.

"And take a look at Massie!" they'd say. "Her features are so... different..."

My parents would exchange a look. "We think she got her great grandmother Addie's looks," they'd assure our guests. But I don't know if it was them reassuring themselves--or me.

It was fine though; I've been used to the attention centered on Tanner. It just gave me more room to live my own life, with my parents always focused on Tanner's grades, sports, and awards.

Yet there was another side of him that my parents didn't know. Naturally, a guy like Tanner got all the girls (he did), threw all the best parties (trust me, I would know. And he definitely did.) and he was no doubt the most popular guy in the junior class.

But only his closest friends knew where his heart was truly centered. And that was in volleyball.

--

I started off the last day of the summer before high school waking up to a roomful of soon-to-be juniors standing at the foot of my bed.

As my eyes blinked open, I noticed a bunch of figures shuffling about, struggling to stay quiet. My eyes struggled to adjust to the contrast of figures in multicolored clothing in ratio to my royal purple walls. I squinted, then registered exactly _who was standing in my room, _in the presence of Massie Block, who, by the way, was pretty sure she looked like shit.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" I shrieked, frantically bunching the covers up around me. "Get out!"

Tanner held his hands up in surrender, then grinned, promptly flashing his laser-whitened smile for his audience. "'Mornin. The team's going out for pancakes and Mom said to invite you."

I rolled my still-groggy eyes at him. "Tanner _Douglas_, I suggest you get out of my room if you want to wake up tomorrow with your eyebrows intact."

He narrowed his eyes at me. I smirked back at him, knowing perfectly well he hated his middle name and especially hated it being said out loud. He flipped me off, then told me they were leaving in ten minutes.

The second the door shut behind them, I jumped out of bed and threw on a pair of True Religion shorts and a purple V-neck. It was, after all, still August in upper New York, and therefore still warm. Once my chocolate brown hair was looking semi-decent and I had smeared mascara and eyeliner on my eyes, I figured it was okay to go downstairs.

"Massie?"

I turned, already halfway down the hallway, to stare face to face with the most gorgeous boy I'd seen in my fourteen years of life. He had deep brown eyes, with dark brown hair that swept into them. The boy was pretty darn tan, which, of course, drew my attention to his super bright smile and his adorable dimples.

My face lit up. I'd seen this guy before.

"Josh Hotz!" I squealed, as he wrapped his arms around me in a warm embrace. Josh Hotz was my brother's best friend. His right hand man. I'd known Josh since I was in fifth grade; when Tanner was in seventh grade at Briarwood. That's when Tanner was first introduced to the sport. They'd tried out for Briarwood's team together, made it, and then became the most sought-after volleyball players in all of Westchester.

"Massie Block!" He smiled. "I haven't seen you all summer." I blushed furiously. "I know. How was your summer? You went to Greece again, right?" God, could I possibly get any more lame? Of course I knew he went to Greece. Josh visits his family in Greece whenever there is a break from school longer than a week. He's gone every summer since I knew him; since he and Tanner became best friends.

Josh shrugged, letting go of me and continuing to make our way downstairs. "It was fine. Nothing special, really. What'd you do?"

"We went to our Hamptons house," I explained. "Tanner was at UCSB's summer volleyball program until a couple weeks ago."

Josh nodded, frowning. His brow furrowed and his dimples disappeared, accentuating his sharp jawline. He stared at me, perhaps into my soul, even, but he didn't say anything. "You've really grown up, Mass," he said, finally, while still holding my gaze.

"Uh, thanks."

We both looked down, consumed by awkward silence. Secretly, however, I was freaking out on the inside and wanted to give him a very inappropriate hug. Or something like that.

"Yo, Josh, Massie, we're ready to go!" Tanner called from the kitchen.

It took us twenty minutes to figure out who was going in whose car, to actually get to IHOP, get seated, and finally have time to converse about what everyone did this summer. After only sitting with Tanner's team for less than ten minutes, I'd already learned more than enough about the twelve of them.

For instance, there were the six starters: Tanner, Josh, Kemp Hurley, Chris Abeley, Harris Fischer, and Nick Harrington. Harris and Nick were the older brothers of Cam Fischer and Derrick Harrington, both of who were in my grade and part of the soon-to-be-freshman guys A-list. Not that I didn't know that already.

As I sat in the IHOP booth, though, keeping to myself and sitting next to Josh (!), I couldn't help but to overhear their conversation. It's times like this when having a popular older brother comes in handy. I'm always the one with the best gossip about some of the hottest guys at our school. And especially with school starting, classified information about who-hooked-up-with-who during the last three months comes in handy.

"Summer hookups," Kemp said, sighing.

Tanner snorted. "What about them?"

Josh rolled his eyes. "Look, we all know Kemp just wants to brag..."

"If you did Alicia Rivera then you'd wanna brag too!"

Everyone hooted and laughed.

Josh chuckled. "Kemp, there's nothing to brag about if you hook up with a _skank."_

"Alright, alright," Tanner grinned, trying to turn the attention towards him. "So you know how I went to UCSB for their summer program?" He paused, probably to make sure he still had a captive audience. "Let's just say that California girls are _hot."_

I gagged at that. I mean, my brother and I are close to some degree, but when it comes to what he _does, _I like to be kept out of the loop. Sure, I've met all his girlfriends, even accidentally walked in on them making out a couple times, but still.

"Dude, you cheated on Skye?" Josh raised his eyebrows, incredulous.

Oh, how could I have forgotten about Skye Hamilton? They'd been an on and off couple since the beginning of their sophomore year. She was gorgeous; piercing blue eyes and long blond curls, but she was also a raging bitch. She really didn't like me that much, either, because back when Cam and her had a thing, he ended it to go out with me. But seriously, if you're a junior girl, why would you waste your time with freshman guys?

Probably to get at Harris, who she cheated on Tanner with, but that's a whole different story.

Tanner shrugged and took a sip of his orange juice. "I won't deny it. After all, you were going out with Sammi when you had that thing with that Greek girl."

Josh reddened. Nick Harrington crinkled his nose. "Dude, I do not want to know about what you did with my older sister. That's nasty."

Josh flipped Tanner off. "Yeah, but that was over the summer. Personally, I think cheating is wrong, now. And besides, it's a new year. I'm ready to settle down this year, I think."

"Pansy."

I found myself interrupting. "Shut up, Tanner. You should learn something from Josh. He actually has _morals."_ Immediately I turned to look at Josh next to me. But to my surprise, he was cracking up. Unlike Tanner, who was content with chucking Sweet'N'Low packets at my face.

Josh grinned, showing off those adorable dimpled cheeks of his. "I think every girl should be more like Massie," he announced, putting his arm around me and squeezing my shoulder.

I felt my cheeks turn bright red as Tanner raised his eyebrows at me.

Josh Hotz is a junior. He's two whole years older than I am. And I think it's safe to say that I have a full-blown crush on him.

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what do you think? i got inspired. :)

review? should i continue?

-sm!(:


	2. falling

and the updates have begun! (:

* * *

_i'm falling, falling_

_sitting here waiting for you_

_--_

"And then he was like, 'You've really grown up, Mass,' and I was freaking out but I tried not to show it, you know? And then--"

"Woah," Kristen Gregory interrupted me. "That's like... Omigod I don't even know what to say!"

"I know!"

"Wait," Dylan Marvil popped a Sour Patch Kid into her glossed mouth. "So when he was talking about Sammi, did he like, look at you? Maybe he was embarrassed of cheating on her with the Greek whore. Like, maybe he was subconsciously trying to show you that he has values and shit."

I took a sip of my Arizona Iced Tea and nodded. At noon, we should be outside tanning and soaking up the last of our pre-high school sun, but instead, we were sitting on the lush purple rug in my room, recapping the events of this morning. Later on on today's agenda, we were going to go over our first-day-of-high-school outfits and discuss our plans with the guys for tonight, in addition to scouring Cosmo for hair and flirting tips we hadn't already picked up this summer.

"Good point." Kristen chimed in.

"Hmm... I don't think so. It was just a friendly gesture, I think." I absentmindedly twirled a piece of hair around my index finger. I mean, the arm around my shoulder was cute. And it meant he was into me, right?

"Ugh." Dylan frowned. "I can't believe that school hasn't even started yet and you already have a legit guy to go for. It's so unfair."

"Yeah. Me and Dyl have to worry about those weird guys who are super cute but turn out to be total creepers and _then _you have to worry about getting rid of them. All while avoiding embarrassment, too," Kristen said, rolling her eyes. She was probably referring to her escapade with Griffin Hastings. She doesn't like to talk about it.

I snorted. "Honey, I don't think you'll need a weedwhacker to sort through the creepers at BOCHS. The scene guys from Abner DoubleDay pretty much walk around with 'Do not Distrurb' signs over their heads."

"And they smell like weed," Dylan pointed out as she flipped the page of TeenVogue.

Kristen sighed, gettin up from her position on the floor and walking to the window. "I can't believe school is tomorrow. And its not just another year at BOCD--we're gunna be highschoolers." She paused to let that sink in with me and Dylan, and then turned around to face us. Her face flushed. "Ehmagawd, do you think that I'll make the soccer team? Varsity? JV? Ew, god forbid--freshman team?! What if I lose my scholarship because my grades start to slip and--"

I cut her off, giggling. "Kristen, are you a leaky faucet?"

"No?"

I snorted, barely able to contain my laughter. "Then why are you spilling your insecurities!"

She burst out laughing. "Massie, you haven't said one of those since the beginning of eighth grade. Not gunna lie, you've kinda lost your edge with those."

"I know," I said, then clapped. "Rate me!" I ran over to the Massie-quin, located in the opposite corner of the room and hauled her over to where we were seated. Clearing my throat, I announced, "Tomorrow, aka our first day of high school, Massie will be wearing a pair of khaki D&G short shorts that compliment the American Apparel plunging purple V-neck. Massie is also wearing an embroidered white cardigan, an organic cork necklace, and on her feet she is sporting white Vans."

Dylan gaped at me. "Vans? Really? I thought we agreed those were too wannabe-skater-boi-ish."

I shrugged, pulling out my black iPhone. "Well, I was thinking we should start new."

"What do you mean?" Kristen asked blankly.

"As of tomorrow, I've made an executive decision that I think will benefit our group image. It'll make us seem..." I paused, searching for the right word. "Mature. If we keep doing outfit ratings and calling ourselves 'The Pretty Committee' and just acting, well, like vain bitches, we're totally gunna leave a bad impression tomorrow. So, from now on, we are Massie, Dylan, and Kristen; three ridiculously good looking girls with amazing clothes, connections, and personalities. We're going to be the girls every guy wants and every girl wants to be without having to say it to people's faces."

Dyl popped another Sour Patch Kid in her mouth. "I'm down."

"Same," Kristen agreed.

"Good," I smiled. "Now who's up for seeing the guys?"

--

People can change alot in three months. Everyone's aware of those magical summer transformations, where guys grow out of their baby fat and suddenly get sexy voices and toned muscles. Same thing goes for girls, too. Their faces get clear, their hair longer, and all of a sudden even the skinniest J Brand jeans look good on them.

Then, in the fall, when they make their debut again in the halls, everyone is sort of shocked. In awe, even. And that was kinda my reaction to seeing my best guy friends again.

Derrick Harrington pretty much barreled into me when I stepped through the door of Cam Fischer's house. All remnants of the mutual hate we possessed a year ago had long disintegrated; when Cam and I started going out last year, we made amends and agreed to tolerate eachother for the good of everyone else in the group. We soon because best friends.

"Derrick!" I smiled when he hugged me. He'd grown taller, about three inches maybe, and his golden hair kissed his caramel brown eyes. He'd obviously been working out, too, because his arms practically suffocated me, and he finally had the body to fit his height. Plus the braces had come off, too.

I looked past him to all my other friends; Dylan and Cam were busy catching up, Plovert and Kemp were talking to Kris. Dylan was making erratic hand gestures to Cam, her face lit with excitement. Kristen, on the other hand, was playfully punching Kemp in the arm.

"So, uh," Derrick pulled away from me and put his hands in his back pockets, blushing slightly. "How was your summer?"

"Boring," I said, taking a seat on the couch behind us. "I missed you."

"Same here, Block." He grinned at me, those caramel eyes sparkling. "Oh! I got you something from Tavarua. You know, when I was at surf camp in Fiji." He fished in the pocket of his Ezekiel jeans, removing his wallet and first generation iPhone in the process. Finally, he took out a small purple box and handed it to me.

I muttered a thanks before I proceeded to pull the top off. Inside it was a hand-carved, wooden heart key chain. Someone had carved my name in caps letters on the front face of the heart.

He scratched the back of his neck, a gesture that Cosmo says it means that a guy is embarrassed, or bashful. "I looked all over the hotel to find one with your name engraved on it. I finally had to pay someone to carve it themselves. You know, Massie isn't a very common name..."

I was speechless. He'd obviously thought of me during the summer. "Derrick... I don't know what to say! Thank you," I said, giving him another hug.

"It's no big deal," he replied, shoving his phone and wallet back in his pocket. "So hows the menfolk treating you these days, Block?"

I snorted. "Menfolk?"

Derrick shrugged. "Whatever you wanna call them."

"They're fine," I said, my mind instantly picturing Josh. Normally, I would tell Derrick these things, but since he and Harris are like _this, _I would prefer to avoid the situation where Harris spilled to the volleyball team--and my brother--about my infatuation with Josh. "There was this guy from the Hamptons, though, and I guess you could say we had a thing."

"Well, that makes one of us."

Now, I'm sure my eyes bulged and my jaw dropped at this point in our conversation, because I was completely taken aback by that comment. "You're shitting me. Derrick Harrington, the ultimate player, didn't hook up with anyone all summer?"

He shook his head, smiling shyly.

"Wow. I'm impressed."

"Well, originally my excuse was gunna be that I was fasting."

"From girls?"

"Yeah."

I chuckled. "You never cease to amaze me, Derrick Harrington."

Derrick smirked. "I try."

We were quiet for a bit, while I was content with marveling over my gift and Derrick stared at his feet. The comfortable silence, however, was shattered when Dylan shouted, "Who wants to play Truth or Dare?" from the other room.

"I'm down," I heard Kemp say, and knowing Plovert, he would agree with Kemp, and then Cam would get sucked in by association, and Kristen would join in for the ride, which left me and Derrick.

"You ready?" I asked him.

He got up from the couch and held his hand out for me to grab, flashing his post-orthodontal treatment smile. "You know, I was born ready, Block."

For some reason, I had a feeling I was going to regret this tomorrow.

* * *

alright, so next chapter is truth or dare, and probably a confrontation with tanner and maybe derrick's older brother. we'll see(:

**review?**

**-sm**


	3. a dollar for your insight

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_

so you guys are amazing. i love checking my email and seeing all the reviews and alerts this story keeps getting(:

baby, you wouldn't last a minute on the creek DOES have an update on the way. just thought i'd let you know:D

* * *

_penny for your thoughts, _

_but a dollar for your insight; _

--

"Alright, so we all know the rules, right?" Plovert asked.

"Mm!" Dylan tried to finish taquito that she stuffed in her mouth in an effort to suggest something. "Kay, so over the summer I played with my sister and her friends, and they played with vodka."

Kemp seemed vaguely interested. "How?"

Dylan smirked. "She called it D or D, for Drink or Dare. There's no truth, just dares. And if you're too chicken to do the dare, you take a shot of vodka instead. So it's your choice. You either do the dare, or you end up getting smashed and looking like an idiot."

"Cam, are your parents home?" Kristen asked.

"No, and I know where Harris keeps his booze," Cam replied somewhat uneasily. "You know, if we decide to play."

"'Kay," Dylan smiled. "Who's in?"

"I'm not worried," Derrick boasted. "I've never turned down a dare."

I knew that Dylan was just trying to look more experienced in front of Cam, which was weird because Cam isn't like that at all, and she knows it. And it's not like it would be my first time drinking. Still, I wasn't totally comfortable with the whole idea of having to go homeand possibly having to face my parents while slightly wasted.

"I am," I heard myself say. Then I remembered that Massie Block has a standard to set, and if that means showing that I can be a party girl, then alright. I'll do what I must. It may not be the smartest of reasoning, considering the fact that I don't drink, but whatever.

"Same," Kristen followed, then Cam, Kemp, Plovert, and Dylan, obviously. They made their way to Cam's living room, where the couch setup was more suitable for social purposes like the one they were currently knee-deep in.

"I'll go first," Kristen said, once everyone was seated. She made a big show of scanning the circle, even though there was only seven of us total.

"Kemp. I dare you to go to Olivia Ryan's house down the street and vent to her about how Derrick just broke up with you."

"What?" Kemp screeched. "Derrick and I were never going--"

"Yeah, even _I _object to that," Derrick protested.

Dylan shook her head. "Then drink."

Kemp glared at Dylan, then Kristen, and then Derrick, before grabbing the shotglass and taking a drink. "Kristen," he spat. "I dare you to eat a chip from Plovert's mouth."

Kristen shrugged, then got up to find a bag of tortilla chips. She returned with a half-empty bag of Tostitos and chucked it at Plovert, who caught it just as it hit the floor.

"How big?" Plovert asked us.

"Uh, like two inches long," Kemp replied.

Plovert's brows furrowed as he carefully selected a tortilla strip and placed it between his lips. Kristen leaned in, cocking her head slightly, until her teeth plucked the chip from him, their lips only centimeters apart. Kristen smiled and quickly kissed him on the lips before turning and retreating to her spot on the couch.

"Ooh, our chins touched." Plovert rolled his eyes while Kris blushed. The rest of us raised our eyebrows skeptically.

"Alright, Derrick," Plovert smirked. "Who do you think the hottest girl in the room is?"

"That's not a dare!"

"Answer the question; the dare comes later," Plovert grinned, raising an eyebrow while the rest of the guys exchanged looks. There was definitely something going on here that only the guys knew about. "After all, you don't pass up dares, right?"

"I'm gunna kill you," Derrick muttered.

He scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "Massie is."

Instantly I felt my cheeks burn.

Plovert smiled with satisfaction. "Then kiss her."

The familiar sting of sweat pricked my armpits as I tried to think of a way to get out of making out with Derrick. Sure, we went out in seventh grade. Yes, we've hooked up since then. Maybe we had another thing in eighth grade. But hooking up with your best friend against your will while your affections lie elsewhere--cough cough, Josh, cough--then yes, that would be something I would like to avoid.

I glanced at Derrick,who was frowning at me apologetically, while the rest of the group was waiting expectantly. He walked over to where I was sitting, between Cam and Dylan, and cupped my face in his hands. He brought me closer towards him until our lips pressed together gently. My hand instinctively went behind his head as he deepened the kiss.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that five other people had their eyes on us; two of them probably wondering what I was doing when I had clearly expressed my mini-crush on Josh to them earlier that day, and three other people were probably going to go up to Derrick after and they would have their guy pow-wow or whatever guys do. But I found myself solely concentrating on Derrick.

And I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

"Dude, you can pull away now," Plovert snorted after a couple minutes. "I mean, if you _want."_

Derrick did. He pulled away rather quickly, actually, probably as an effort to cover up the fact that his face was flushed. Not like mine was any better, but still.

"Um, alright. Dylan, I dare you to..."

The rest of the night went on in a somewhat similar fashion until Mrs. Gregory came and picked us up, after we'd prepared ourselves with a couple sticks of gum and mouthwash. Derrick, on the other hand, didn't seem too fazed about our dare, and was his normal self for the rest of the game.

But whatever. The effects of that night wouldn't register for a little while longer, anyways.

--

Clearly, my attempts at quietly entering my house and shutting the door without attracting attention to myself failed, because the second the door shut ever-so-quietly behind me, Tanner was leaning against the staircase with his eyebrows raised in my direction.

He was also with Nick Harrington.

Great.

"Where've you been?" Tanner's eyes narrowed.

"_I _know where she was," Nick spoke up, "and she was at Cam's. With my brother." He smirked.

Nick Harrington was an odd guy, in my opinion. Sure, he had a fan-base almost as big as Tanner's, but it just seemed like his younger brother had the better personality. Nick had the same character hair and eyes, and he was slightly more chiseled and, well, manly, but he just seemed awkward. Around me, anyways. But then again, its not like I've ever partied with him or gotten to know him the way I know some of Tanner's friends.

"Reaaaally?" Tanner seemed amused. Both of them had me cornered in the doorway, like a deer trapped in headlights. He sniffed. "Were you drinking, Massie?"

"Uh, _no," _I replied defiantly, praying to Gawd that they wouldn't call my bluff and, if they did, that they wouldn't tell Kendra and William. "We just played truth or dare, that's it."

"Liar," Tanner smirked. "I know grey goose when I smell it."

"Don't tell them," I pleaded. "You know they're gunna flip out if you do."

"We'll make you a deal," Nick said, grabbing my hand and twirling my platinum band around my finger. "We don't rat you out, and you fill us in on what happened at Cam's."

I was skeptical of this. "Why do you care about what went down at a freshmen kickback?"

Nick grinned. "I like to keep tabs on my little brother."

"And I like to keep tabs on my little sister." Tanner rubbed the top of my head, successfully messing up my hair. "And what kind of brother would I be if I didn't tell my parents about what she does when they aren't watching?"

"Fine," I hissed. "Now let me at least sit down."

We made our way past the grand staircase, through the foyer and into the living room. Kendra had hired some Los Angeles interior designer to modernize the house, so black leather couches framed the modern glass coffee table and 60 inch plasma screen TV. The walls were white, but toted colourful Picassos and imported Italian vases stood on the shelves of custom mahogany furniture.

I started telling them about Kemp's dare that he turned down, and then Kristen and Plovert's chip, until Tanner quieted me. "Get to the good part," he said, leaning forward slightly. "What'd you do?"

"What'd Derrick do?" Nick questioned.

My heart started pounding. "I don't see why this is so important..."

Tanner snorted. "You hooked up with him, didn't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Pffft... _no."_

"Don't bullshit us," Tanner deadpanned. Then they proceeded to fire off questions at me.

"Is he a good kisser?"

"How far'd you guys go?"

"He didn't take advantage of you, did he?"

"I'd kick his ass."

"You were wearing clothes, right?"

_"Shut up!" _I shouted at them, exasperated. "Yes, I hooked up with Derrick. As a dare. And it was _his dare. _No, he did not take advantage of me; honestly what kind of question is that? Duh, of course we were wearing clothes." I exhaled, glaring at both of them. _"God."_

Nick's black EnV2 vibrated in his hand. He frowned, reading the text, and then smiled slightly. Then he tossed the phone (which I personally think resembles a calculator) to me. "Read it," he said smugly.

DERRICK: I kissed hr!

I frowned at him. "I'm pretty sure I already knew that."

"Read the entire conversation."

I scrolled through his inbox and sent messages until I gathered the gist of the conversation:

DERRICK: i'm cams

NICK: ok.... y do i care?

DERRICK: mass is here :)

NICK: she like hr present?

DERRICK: think so... were gunna play t or d. brb

NICK: ;)

I shut the phone, trying not to grimace. "What are you gunna say to that?"

Nick shrugged, grinning a little. "It's more of an in-person conversation, wouldn't you agree?"

I was fuming on the inside. Thank you, Nicholas Harrington for telling me that your brother has a crush on me. I especially thank you for the awkwardness tomorrow will bring at school with Derrick. I'm also very pleased that you facilitated an interrogation with me and my brother. Yes, it would have been easier to just greet me on the way inside my house, but no. You definitely succeeded in embarrassing me in front of my brother. I really appreciate it.

Tanner laughed. "She doesn't care. Massie has a thing for Josh."

My jaw dropped.

I'm going to kill Tanner. Kill him.

On second thought, why not kill both of them?

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reviews keep me motivated:) spread the love! write a review!


	4. love on my mind

Okay. Yes. It has been almost a year since I have updated. But I was going through my google docs and I kinda re-fell in love with this story.

Warning. Updates will be short. review anyways?

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Chapter Four

_i got hate in my heart_

_love on my mind_

--

The stone pillars of the newly remodeled Briarwood-Octavian Country High School cast a majestic shadow over the circular driveway of the school, where the steps somewhat reminded me of the Metropolitan Museum in the city. I felt a lump start to form in my throat as the Range Rover slowly inched towards the dropoff zone of BOCHS.

I took a deep breath and turned to Kristen and Dylan. "Who's ready?"

Kristen wrinkled her nose. "You're not gunna give us some prep speech or something?"

Dylan snorted. "Yeah, 'PC support, day or night!'"

"Look, if you want a prep speech, I can guarantee that right now it'll be about how I'm gunna kick your ass if you don't shut up, Dyl."

Dylan rolled her eyes and raised her hands in mock-surrender.

I smiled. "Good. Now, we all know that Claire Lyons and Olivia Ryan--"

"I hate that bitch," Kristen muttered.

"--are no doubt going to try and ruin us and our reputation. And, as part of our new image, we're defninitely not letting that happen. But we aren't giong to turn all psycho-bitch on them, either. Remember, we're calm, collected, and ridiculously good-looking, but we're gonna focus on being friendly and nice. Am I clear?"

They smile-nodded.

As we got out of the car, in my head I was picturing one of those scenes from a movie, where the main characters step out of a car and start Heidi Klum-ing down an imaginary runway in slow motion, turning heads left and right. Which is definitely what we were going for, except, not as exaggerated and, well, snotty.

However, it was a good way to assess the cliques gathered on the front steps. To the left, there was some preppy freshmen in wedges and plaid skirts. On my right, some skater guys wearing Vans. Of course, there were various groupings of people scattered about besides the typical stereotypes I saw.

But dead center, there was the ultimate alpha of BOCHS. Her Tiffany&Co clad fingers grasped a Starbucks cup, and her True Religion cutoff shorts showed off her sharp calves and tanned skin. She was wearing a turquoise and white flowy top, with her straight blonde hair cascading down her back.

A girl I remembered as Alicia Rivera narrowed her chocolate eyes at me and said something to the blonde, who promptly turned around to face me. Her piercing blue eyes glimmered in the direct sunlight as she emerged from her circle of friends.

"Massie," she said cooly, her eyes searching over my outfit, clearly looking for a flaw.

"Skye," I replied as I held her gaze.

She frowned. "I don't see your brother."

"He didn't pick you up today?" I pouted to show my non-existent sympathy.

Skye scowled, her blond brows narrowing. "No." She took a deep breath, then glared at me once more. "You'd better watch yourself, Massie. Starting at eight o'clock, you're no longer my boyfriend's annoying little sister. You're officially the scum of the earth."

I snorted. "Right, so what does that make you?"

Skye studied me again before curtly smiling and looking slightly amused. "I'll see you around, Massie." Then she turned and continued to walk back over to Alicia and Tanner's friends.

"Gawd, what was that about?" Kristen asked once Skye walked away.

I shrugged. "I guess she felt the need to 'put me in my place.'"

"Someone needs to put her in hers," Dylan noted. "She probably thinks you're a threat."

--

Fate stepped into my life at approximately 11:02 that morning.

It was fourth period Geometry, and as far as I could tell, there wasn't anyone I knew who had that class with me. My eyes scanned the room's four corners for a familiar mane of red hair, or a glossy side braid; anyone who looked remotely decent to talk to or sit by.

"All right, you guys can sit wherever." The small old man seated at the front of the room spoke in a surprisingly gruff tone, his arms crossed. "My name is Mr. Gianni, you guys can call me Mr. G, and I really don't feel like teaching today, so you guys can just talk amongst yourselves."

I couldn't decide what was worse: looking like a stuck up bitch who wouldn't talk to anyone, or looking like the loser who didn't have anyone to talk to.

And that was when fate happened.

"Hey cutie."

I turned around, just to be ambushed by the six feet and one inch that was Joshua Hotz. "Ah... hi Josh."

He smiled, his dimpled cheeks revealing his perfect teeth. "So how's being a freshman?" He winked.

My stomach went for a loop while I collected myself. "It's been the best three hours of my life so far." I rolled my eyes.

Josh grinned. "Well I'm glad to hear that. You have Lunch A?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm in Photography 1 so I have Lunch B," I sighed. "All my friends have first lunch though."

"Not all of them do." He smiled, raising his eyebrows at me. "I have Lunch B."

Inside, my stomach flipped. I was praying that my face didn't show the slightest trace of excitement, or any other embarrassing emotion I could possibly express. "You do...?"

Josh flashed his toothpaste-ad smile. "Yep. Can we call it a date?"

I almost died.


	5. taffy stuck and tongue tied

Um basically I'm a horrible person. Feel free to verbally slap me in a review though because although my updates are sparratic, your reveiws are much appreciated and i read every single one :D

also, i might be changing my penname, so don't be alarmed if I come up with something completely different :)

* * *

_i am colourblind_

_ taffy stuck and tongue-tied_

New situations make me nervous. The feeling of vulnerability where all your confidence is thrown out the back door and sends your knees shaking makes me nervous.

It's not a feeling I get often; no, Massie Block doesn't get nervous. And when (if) she does, she does a damn good job of hiding it.

But at lunch, I waved to Kori Gedman and Strawberry (whose hair had now turned back to its normal colour. Unfortunately for Strawberry, the name stuck.), but its not like we were going to be Lunch B BFFs just because of the circumstances.

I made eye contact with Tanner, who was sitting at the center table with his volleyball friends. "Hey Massie!" Tanner cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted across the cafeteria. "Where are your friends?"

I glared at him even though my face was flushed. He smirked and raised his eyebrows back at me.

I hate older brothers too, they create a lot of new situations, I hear.

"Right here," a voice called from behind me.

I turned around to find myself face to face with Josh Hotz. "You know I'd never forget our lunch date, Massie," he winked at me.

"Thanks," I mouthed at him. Nevertheless all eyes in the cafeteria were on Josh and I as he led me towards the table next to Tanner. "Sorry Tanner," I said as we sat down, just us two. "I guess Josh really isn't in the mood to join your sausage fest over there."

I smirked as a chorus of "oohs" rose from the tables around me.

"Owned by a freshman, bro," Chris Abeley laughed.

"Owned by a _sister," _Harris Fisher agreed. They high-fived as Tanner raised his hands in surrender.

I ignored the whispers and gossip around me (Massie Block sitting with BMOC Josh _HotzWHAT?) _and turned my attention towards the big man on campus himself. "Thanks for helping me out back there."

Josh shrugged. "Not a big deal. We all know T likes to pick on little freshmen and especially his little sis."

"Yeah I guess," I frowned, looking down at my sweet potato fries and chicken sandwich. "I dunno. As much as I love the title of being Tanner Block's baby sister, it definitely gets old after some time."

"Nobody looks at you like that," Josh said. He took a sweet potato fry and dipped it in some ranch dressing. "At least I don't."

I crossed my hands over my stomach to try and suppress the giddy feeling of weightlessness that was spreading in my stomach. I smiled though, cause its not like I didn't appreciate the compliment. "Thanks."

It was silent for a few moments. That's another thing I hate. Silences. Especially awkward ones that are unavoidable and unexpected. They are even worse when shared between someone you like, or someone you're trying to impress.

Seriously though. Anyone who isn't completely socially inept knows that a lack of things to talk about means a lack of interest, which would just be embarrassing on my part.

"Hey Hotz." A familiar mop of blonde hair sat down across from us. "Sup Block."

"Hey Derrick," I said, not knowing whether to be thankful for him interrupting what might have turned into an awkward silence, or to be annoyed with him for ruining my one on one time with Josh. "Why are you here?" I decided to go with the latter.

"I told you last night I had Lunch B," he replied, somewhat confused as to why I'd forget. Anyways if he noticed my snarky comment, he didn't show it. But then again guys are oblivious to anything.

Derrick's brows furrowed, "I'm pretty sure that you said you would wait for me after fifth period…?"

Damn he was smarter than he looked.

I was hoping that if I changed the subject then he'd ignore the fact that I didn't really want to talk to him, or see him for that matter, at all today until I figured out what was going on with him and I, but more importantly Josh. I cleared my throat. "Irrelevant. How's your day going so far?"

Derrick shrugged. "It's alright I guess."

I rolled my eyes, and my gaze met Josh's. He smiled, but he looked bored. "Well, as much fun as this is, I think I'll go join your brother's sausage fest." He swung his feet over the bench, straightened his Polo shirt, and half-smiled at me. "See you around, baby Block."

He walked away to the next table over, taking a seat between Tanner and Alicia Rivera.

Did he call me baby block in because after our talk about me being Tanner's little sister, he realized that that is all I will ever be for him? Or did he mean it like baby, as in a term of affection? Or did he just say it to get me thinking about this?

"Um… Block?" Derrick leaned across the table to catch my gaze. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I replied absentmindedly. "I am."

"Okay good."

He stared at the table as I twirled a fry around in ketchup. Couldn't he just go away?

I looked across the cafeteria to see Josh with his arm around Alicia Rivera. My insides cringed. How perfect; I imagined BOCHS's two bestfriend BMOCs dating the two über alpha bestfriends of the junior class.

He whispered something in her ear, and Alicia threw back her long, shiny black mane and cackled, playfully punching Josh on his toned bicep. They both started laughing, and he playfully pinched her flat stomach. Alicia squealed and scooted away from him; I could tell that she was pulling the classic _pretend-you're-mad-and-stare-up-at-him-with-your-big-brown-eyes _approach.

He wrapped his arms around her for the second time, softly kissing her on the head. Her approach was working, obviously.

I swear I could watch them (him) forever.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, distracting me from Alicia's well-planned public displays of affection, and I took out my limited edition purple iPhone 3GS.

TANNER: stop staring at them creeper.

I looked up from my phone's screen to see Tanner smirking at my from Josh's side. Luckily, Josh was still talking to Alicia and didn't turn around to notice the exchange. Tanner waved, and I instantly looked away, as Derrick gazed at me from across the table.

So far, I was not a fan of high school.

"So I'm thinking that I'm going to wear my light pink Pucci minidress to the Harrington bash on Saturday," Kristen said as she stretched her tan arms, moving them in fluid motions. "Any thoughts?"

It was ridiculously hot on the tennis courts, but that's what happens during the first few weeks of September in upstate New York. Kristen, Dylan and I joined the tennis team in eighth grade after taking private lessons for almost three years. Plus, going to BOCHS and _not _playing a sport was almost as bad as going into Steve Madden and not walking out with a pair of killer kitten heels.

Also, the courts were conveniently located next to the aquatics stadium, where all girls on the frosh, JV, and Varsity tennis team had prime positions for watching the boys' water polo practice. And vice versa, so naturally each girl was clad in the latest Nike and Adidas tennis outfits; short, stylish, and tan-complimentary.

"Too mod," Dylan noted. "Unless you wanna be known as the girl who walked around the party spreading messages of peace and love."

Kristen snorted. "Hey Dylan, your cameltoe is showing."

Dylan's face turned bright red and she self-consciously checked to make sure that wasn't the case. "Funny, Kristen. Hilarious."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't go Pucci, Kris, that's exclusively for spring. Not fall."

"Fine. Hérve Léger? I just got that champagne coloured strapless dress."

"For the Harrington beach bash? No offense K, but I think your idea of this party is gunna be like is seriously warped," Dylan scoffed as she stretched a hamstring.

"You guys suck," Kristen wrinkled her ski-slope nose.

"Well, I'm sure you all want to know what _I'm _wearing," I smiled, then paused dramatically. Dylan and Kristen rolled their eyes at me, but I knew I had their attention regardless. "I'll be wearing a Diane von Furstenburg strapless maxi dress in light pink and orange to compliment my tan, my new rainbow sandals that Tanner brought back from California, with gold bangles and dangle earrings. Thoughts?"

"Yeah," a nasally and overly-confident voice spoke up. "I think what's the point, it's not like _you _have anyone to impress."

Skye Hamilton placed her butterscotch-coloured hands on her small waist, smirking at us with her partner-in-crime Alicia Rivera by her side. She was sporting a low-cut light blue Nike tank top and white pleated skirt that brought out her sparkling blue eyes and buttery blonde locks.

"Don't be silly, Skye," Alicia spoke up. "Massie has Josh Hotz."

Skye cackled as I shot her the dirtiest look since the one Taylor gave Kanye. "Um, that's a joke, because last time I checked, _you _had Josh?"

"You're right, what was I thinking?" Alicia snorted. "A word of advice, Massie," she said, resting a manicured hand on my shoulder. "We all know why upperclassmen go for new freshmen, maybe it's time you figured it out too."

"People like Josh go for freshmen like you because they're _easy," _Skye sneered. "Fresh meat. Puh-_lease. _And to think that you thought Josh was actually into you."

"Hamilton! Rivera!" Coach Keith barked. "Court one to lead warm-ups, now!"

Skye smiled curtly at us and nearly knocked me over as she barreled past me. "Watch it, freshmeat."

Dylan raised her eyebrows. "Looks like you're barking up the wrong tree…"

I scoffed and picked up my racket. "I didn't _choose _to pick a fight with BOCH's Head Bitch. But I can't back down."

"We know," Kristen rolled her eyes. "There's nothing you love more than destroying someone's rep."

"Used to love," I corrected her as we neared the warm-up court. "But now that everything's been said and done, she needs to know who she's messing with."

"All right ladies, let's start by introducing yourselves," Coach Keith said. "_You!" _He boomed, pointing right at me. "Introduce yourself. Name, grade, hobbies, you know the drill."

I stepped to get in line with Coach Keith and faced twenty-four Nike-clad girls. "Hi, I'm Massie Block. I'm a freshman this year, and my hobbies include telling it like it is, clawing my way to the top, and winning as a result. I wake up, I look in the mirror, and I see the face of a winner. So that's what I do. I win."

I purposely locked my gaze with Skye's. "And losing is simply not an option for me."

The applause that followed was unnecessary, yet appreciated all the same.


	6. fall right into place

So most of you noticed I changed my name from SourMuffins to heychelsletschacha. Hope that's cool with you all:) anyways I was going through some of the older chapters, and the divisions I had placed between different "scenes" i guess were missing. So hopefully they're more pronounced now.

And I am on an update spreeeeeeee so i really hope you spread the love. write a review.

* * *

_in the motions and the things you say_

_it all will fall, fall right into place_

EVITE

_You are officially invited to Nick and Derrick Harrington's_

5th Annual Beach Bash

_Where: The Harrington Estate_

_When: 6 to ?_

_Pools will be heated. Catered by Los Alamitos. Must be on list to enter._

**BYOB.**

Tanner Block.

Kemp Hurley.

Harris Fischer.

Chris Abeley.

Josh Hotz.

Derrick Harrington.

Cam Fischer.

Chris Plovert.

Skye Hamilton.

Alicia Rivera.

Claire Lyons.

Massie Block.

Dylan Marvil.

Kristen Gregory.

(click to see more)

…

-OX-

Not to sound like a douche or anything, but when I walk through the halls, it's like as if Moses is walking in front of me, and he's parting the Red Sea as he goes. It's true. Girls from both sides eagerly move out of the way as I walk past, flashing smiles and flipping hair.

I don't really notice them, to be honest.

But I can't help it that they notice me. I mean, a little eye contact here, a smile there… I know it sends them off the edge. I look at Massie, and that kind of stuff drives girls like her nuts for a guy.

I figure that I pretty much have girls all figured out anyways. Girls like Skye want attention and to be attached to the hip of a jock. Girls like Alicia are notorious for getting with every guy. Girls like Massie like her brother's best friends.

"Hey Tanner," I hear Nick Harrington call from behind me.

I turned to slap him on the back. "What's up, man?"

Nick had a huge stack of flyers in his hands, printed on neon green paper. "Will you help me pass these out without admin getting any? I don't want them to send those gay ASB kids to take pictures just so they can turn them into the principal again. That blowed."

I smiled, remembering freshman year when Nick had his back to school party, and we gained the reputation of badasses, not only for having a rager, but getting caught and suspended for the festivities that took place there. "Yeah man no problem. So The Harrington Bash in on fasho, am I right?"

Nick grinned. "Fuck yeah, man. Parents out of town, open house, estate grounds completely open. Hot girls in bikinis." He paused. "I got one rule though, man."

"What?"

"Don't give any to freshman. Nobody likes them and I don't want them at my party."

"So no Derrick… or Massie?" I asked.

"Oh. Oh yeah my brothers' friends can go. I'm just saying, don't give it to random freshman girls just cause you think they're hot. Or guys either. It's annoying when they think they can get with our junior girls."

"Got it," I noted and grabbed a stack of flyers. "Catch you after sixth for seventh period volleyball."

I continued to walk down the hall. It was our lunch period, and I was starving. Our cafeteria was prided for having the best food out of all the private schools. We had fresh pizza, a Panini man who made the best sandwiches, a burrito and salad bar, and freshly fried chicken tenders and French fries.

Entering the Café was kind of a mess though. Half of BOCH's population crowded in there. However, it was a place to see and be seen. To my left, Skye and Alicia were building their salads. Kemp Hurley was at the burrito bar. To my right, Josh and Massie were getting a Panini to share.

Wait. _What?_

I'm not going to lie, Josh has kind of been pissing me off lately. He's my best friend, but isn't it kind of the unspoken rule to _not _go for your friends' little sisters? Especially my _freshman little siser? _

I'm sorry, but that just sounds wrong to me. And nauseating.

So I decide to pull the biggest douchebag move, but Josh deserves it.

"Hey, my people," I grin as I place myself between Massie and Josh with my arms around both of them.

"Um, hi." Massie glares at me and shrugs my arm off of her shoulder.

I smile at her and turn to Josh. "So, Nick gave me a stack o f invites to the party on Friday. You're coming right?"

"Yeah bro, for sure," Josh nodded and took a green flyer.

"You thinking about going with anyone?" I asked him.

Josh smirked. "I got a few people in mind," he smiled, winking at Massie, who promptly rolled her eyes. But I could tell by the way her face turned bright red that she was stoked on the inside.

Josh was gunna hate me for his later. I laughed. "You think I'm letting you go to an upperclassmen party?" I said, turning to Massie.

Massie rolled her eyes and showed me a green flyer of her own. "Fuck you, Tanner," she said in monotone.

"I don't remember giving you one of those," I said, frowning.

"That's 'cause I got it from _Derrick, _who is _Nick's _brother and also co-throwing the party," She rolled her eyes again. "How nice of you to try and play the part of the protective older brother, though, that's just grand."

"We'll talk about this later," I said, dismissing her.

She snorted and walked away.

"Um, hey cockblock," Josh glared at me.

"Um, little sister?" I looked at him skeptically.

Josh put his hands up in surrender. "Whatever, man," he said and followed Massie over to the cashier.

I stared at them for a little. Josh had creeped up behind Massie and wrapped his hands around her waist. She pretended to be startled, but they struck up a conversation full of giggles and smiles.

These feelings of protectiveness were new and completely foreign to me. I mean, Massie and I aren't exactly close. She lets me do my own thing and I let her do hers. But this is different. This just feels…_wrong _to me.

"I don't like it either."

I turned around to see Derrick staring at the same spectacle as I. I frowned. "Take it easy man," I said, grabbing a quesadilla as I patted him on the back and walked out of the Café.

-OX-

I could hear Massie humming something even from down the hall in my room. I didn't bother giving her notice, and I figured that permission for entry wouldn't be granted even if I asked. So, being resourceful I chose the next best option.

"_Everything that keeps me together is falling apart, I got this thing that I consider my only art of—"_

"Since when do you listen to Modest Mouse?" I stared at Massie quizzically.

"Um, first off, it's called knocking," Massie gestured to the door that I barged through not four seconds earlier. "And if you _have _to know, Josh showed them to me." She turned in her rolley-chair and crossed her arms.

I sighed. "Can I sit down?"

Massie gestured to her bed. "I hope you've bathed recently. I don't enjoy my room to smell like Polo Ralph Lauren and moldy socks."

I scoffed at her. "What's with your 'tude? I kind of need to have a semi-serious conversation with you right now."

"Shoot," Massie said, not bothering to look up from her computer screen.

"It's about Josh," I started.

"Mhmm."

"He's my best friend."

"Yeah, I got that."

"And I'm glad that you two get along…"

Massie swiveled to face me. "God Tanner, can you not beat around the bush?"

"I don't like the way you act around him."

She snorted. "I don't like the way you act around Skye."

"_I _don't like the way _Josh _acts around _you."_ I sighed. "I shouldn't even be having this conversation with you, honestly. I don't like having to intervene or whatever—"

"Then _don't."_

"—but fact of the matter is, I don't want you getting involved with him. I don't think it's a good idea for you, to be honest. That would just be weird, and you would no doubt piss of Alicia and then that would put me in a shitty situation with Skye, and—"

"Well shit, Tanner, if I'd known that me hanging out with Josh would be such an inconvenience to you, then, shit, I would have backed off a long time ago!" She glared at me, and I sure as hell didn't appreciate the sarcasm in her tone. "Actually, Tanner, maybe I would have went for him sooner, now that I think about it."

"Massie, please just listen. I didn't mean it like that. If you weren't my sister I wouldn't give a fuck what Josh does with whoever. He's notorious for playing girls. He's sweet to their faces and a dick behind their backs. And I wouldn't have a problem with that, except that now _you're _involved. He's always had a thing for Alicia. And I don't want to see you getting hurt in the end."

That was probably one of the most sentimental things I have ever said to my sister in all my existence. Massie was surprised with me. _I _was surprised with me.

"Thanks Tanner," She said, smiling slightly. "I appreciate you caring."

"You're welcome," I said, getting up from her bed and walking across the room. I paused at the door and turned around. "You know, I know a really good guy who cares a lot about you. You should give him a chance, Mass."

_Thank God that's over with, _I thought to myself as I walked out of her room and down the hallway, where I was almost out of earshot to hear her phone ring.

"Hey Josh," Massie answered faintly. I wasn't quite out of range to hear her conversation.

She laughed. "No, I'm not busy right now… Okay… I'll see you then…"

Massie hadn't even hung up before I had my phone in hand and I was speedialing.

"Hey man, we need to talk."


End file.
